22 Feb 2007

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS DEBATE FOOD SAFETY IN THE MIDDLE EAST


Major Opportunity to Establish Shared Areas of Best Practice and Apply Standards for Food Control, Risk Control and Genetically-Modified Food

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Food safety experts from around the world have gathered in Dubai to discuss critical issues of food safety, including specialists from the UAE, Australia, France, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, the UK, and the USA.

Held alongside Gulfood 2007, the region's largest food and foodservice trade exhibition, Dubai International Food Safety Conference has received overwhelming response from the industry with over 400 delegates from 13 countries attending the event.

"Dubai World Trade Centre is pleased to note that this year's conference was the most international yet held, because the issues surrounding food safety demonstrate the extent to which we are all globally interdependent," said Helal Saaed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre, who delivered an opening address to the visiting experts.

"The best practices and standards being discussed and developed at the event will not only protect the health of the people of the UAE, they will also ensure that we are taking a lead in the world market for exports and re-exports," he added.

Food safety is a global concern for both the developed and the developing world.

For example, in USA, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that food-borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses every year, as well as 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths. In South East Asia, approximately one million children under five years of age die each year from consuming contaminated food and water.

While international trade has increased the diversity of available food and reduced prices through increased competition, it has also strengthened the need for agreed regional and international standards of food safety, according to experts attending the conference.

The first day of the conference saw an opening presentation by His Excellency Eng. Hussein Bin Lootah, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality, and a Keynote Address on "Food Safety Strategy in Dubai," reflecting the Emirate's strong interest in this area.

Other topics under discussion include the approaches to the Safety Assessment of Genetically Modified Foods applied by the Food Science and Technology Group, University of New South Wales, Australia and best practices in food safety, as developed by Aqaba Special Economic Zone- Jordan.